Western Australia is the largest state in Australia, and occupies the western third of the continent. Despite the area that Western Australia covers, the state only has a small population of around two million people. The majority of the population lives in or around Perth, which is the state capital. The state is often marketed as the 'Real Australia' and is home to sandy deserts and remote beaches.

About Western Australia

General Information About Western Australia

Perth at night
cc Steve Ellis

Western Australia is the largest state in Australia, and occupies the western third of the continent. Despite the area that Western Australia covers, the state only has a small population of around two million people. The majority of the population lives in or around Perth, which is the state capital.

Western Australia is often marketed as the 'Real Australia' and is home to sandy deserts, remote beaches and empty spaces. Even after spending a lot of time exploring Western Australia, there is still so much to see and do.

The state can be divided into a few sub regions, and each of these offers something different. Visit sandy beaches in Perth, surf in the mid west, go wine tasting in the south west or explore the mining region of Pilbara.

Travelling in Western Australia

Travelling by plane is the most efficient way to travel around Western Australia as many roads are unsealed and there are often large distances between towns. If you would like to explore some of the more remote areas, it's a good idea to hire a 4WD instead of a conventional vehicle. Be sure to plan ahead though, as gas stations are scarce, as are water and accommodation in these areas.

There are train services within Perth and Mandurah, and a few regional train services are based in Perth. There are also comprehensive coach services available in the south west of the state.

Time Differences

Western Australia is eight hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) and does not observe daylight savings. During winter the state is two hours behind the eastern coast of Australia, and three hours behind Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania when they observe daylight savings in the summer.